THE 20 WORST RATED DOG FOODS IN THE UNITED STATES .

The 20 worst rated dog foods in the United States that are marketed in Colombia.
This blog is based on the article of the site getpetsdigest.com titled “The 20 worst rated dog foods by consumers of 2022 in the United States” we find it quite interesting because this list was built based on the ratings of customers who buy these brands for their dogs and the effect that these foods have on the health and quality of life of pets. Therefore, we undertook the task of reviewing the list and extracting the worst rated food brands in the United States that are marketed in Colombia.

Many people think that there are few differences between dog food brands, but that could not be further from the truth. While there are minimum nutritional guidelines that formulas must meet, there is a world of difference between top-tier premium dog foods and other brands. Some of the latter have even been involved in incidents where dogs became ill as a result of eating the food, and it is surprising how many brands contain little more than dog-allergenic raw materials, artificial ingredients and ingredients that have been shown to negatively affect the health of dogs.

This is not to say that premium foods are super expensive of course, premium pet foods cost a bit more, but if you think long term, the benefits of feeding your dog a high quality diet outweigh the negatives. Lately we see a lot of dogs in practice with tumors, cancer, and serious kidney and liver disease caused mostly by foods that are not natural or suitable for dogs. But what makes a high quality dog food and how can you tell the difference between a high quality dog food and a low quality dog food?

Perhaps the most important element is the ingredients, if you open the package and you can tell what the ingredients are and they are fresh.

Verify that the food does not contain wheat, gluten, soy and/or corn. It has been scientifically proven that these ingredients generate a great amount of allergies for dogs.

Verify in the list of ingredients that the food does not contain artificial chemicals or artificial preservatives.

Many concentrated foods contain large amounts of salt, they use it as a preservative, in these quantities salt is very harmful in the diet of dogs.
Verify the source of protein, that is to say with what source of animal protein the food was made, generally the concentrates use animal waste or chicken or meat meal which are dehydrated at high temperatures which causes them to lose their main characteristics.
Our recommendation to select a Premium food is that it is natural, made with fresh and appropriate ingredients for the dog, that the source of the protein can be distinguished and that it has an important percentage in the diet, it is recommended between 40% and 60%.

These guidelines are important because the impact of the quality of food on the health of dogs is decisive, it is undoubtedly the most influential element, rationally it is better to invest a little in a slightly more expensive food versus the countless expenses and frustrations of facing serious diseases such as skin allergies, tumors, cancer, kidney and liver problems among others. With these clear guidelines to choose quality food for our dogs, we will now mention the list of the 20 dog foods worst rated by consumers in the United States:

Purina Beneful Original Formula
Blackwood 1000 Chicken Meal & Corn Formula
Wegmans Bruiser Kibble Variety Mix
Purina Dog Chow
Hill’s Science Diet Adult Dog Food
Walmart’s Ol’ Roy Dog Food
Purina Be Happy Beef Flavor Dog Food
Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition Beef Flavor Dry Dog Food
Purina Veterinary Diets
Kibbles ‘n Bits Original Formula
Iams ProActive Health Smart Puppy Original Formula
Purina Dog Chow Healthy Morsels Formula
Purina Senior 7+ Healthy Morsels Soft & Crunchy Bites Dog Food
PRO PAC Adult Chunk Premium Dog Food

Science Diet Adult Dog Breed

The most worrying element of this list is that seven of these foods are marketed and sold in Colombia and several Latin American countries. In addition, several of these foods are among the best sellers, below we share the list along with an analysis of each of the food brands.

Purina Beneful Original Formula.

This is one of the worst rated dog foods on the market and is full of harmful fillers. Worse, this formula has been cited as the cause of skin and allergy problems, gastrointestinal problems, liver failure and death in several dogs. Although some dogs do not experience any adverse effects right away, feeding a dog Purina Beneful Original Formula every day is similar to a human eating fast food at every meal: the health benefits are few and far between and such a diet is generally not worth the risk.

Purina Dog Chow

Purina Dog Chow is so harmful to dogs that a class action lawsuit was launched to hold the company accountable for the thousands of deaths it has allegedly caused in the United States. In addition to online complaints about this formula, many dog owners are upset that Purina denies the problems with the dog food.

Hill’s Science Diet Adult Dog Food

This is one of the most expensive dog foods recommended by some veterinarians, although it’s hard to see why. One look at the ingredient list and you’ll notice that this formula contains the same fillers and toxic ingredients that the cheaper brands have. Hill’s Science Diet Adult Dog Food has been associated with several cases of dogs dying of anal cell carcinoma, while other dog owners have reported that their pets became ill shortly after eating the food.

Hill’s Science Diet Adult Dog Food

Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition Beef Flavor Dry Dog Food

Pedigree brand dog food has many formulas that have generated consumer complaints, but this one is the worst. In addition to reports of dog deaths, pet owners have said their dogs became sick, vomited or developed diarrhea after eating this food. Its main ingredients are ground whole corn, meat and bone meal, corn gluten meal and animal fat. It also contains artificial coloring and vegetable oil, and Pedigree admits that its kibble contains pig hair. If you wouldn’t be willing to eat food with animal hair mixed in, why give it to your dog?

Purina Veterinary Diets.

It is hard to understand why any veterinarian would recommend a product with an ingredient list like Purina Veterinary Diets. In this case, the name is just a labeling scheme and there is not much nutrition in the food. If your pet has special dietary needs due to allergies or illness, it is best to be very careful when buying or preparing his food. The truth is that no dog benefits from ingredients such as propylene glycol, caramel color, soy and corn gluten.

Purina Senior 7+ Healthy Morsels Soft & Crunchy Bites Dog Food.

Senior dogs are especially vulnerable to getting sick and their diet is a key part of keeping them healthy and active for as long as possible. This Purina dog food formula, which is aimed at senior dog owners, is notable for containing some of the worst ingredients you could give to any dog, especially an older one. In addition to GMO corn, ground wheat, soy, sugar, salt, phosphoric acid, preservatives and artificial colors, it also contains various bone meals and animal fats. It is not clear exactly which animals are contained in the food and, unfortunately, regulations do not stipulate that it must be disclosed. For any older dog or one with fragile health, the best option would be to mix your own food that is made from natural, whole ingredients; you will find that the cost is comparable to buying this brand.

Science Diet Adult Dog Breed

Chicken, whole wheat, split pearled barley, whole grain sorghum, whole grain corn, corn gluten meal, chicken meal, pork fat, chicken liver flavor, dehydrated beet pulp, soybean oil, lactic acid, flaxseed, potassium chloride, iodized salt, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), niacin supplement, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, pantothenol, pantothiamine pantothenol, vitamin A supplement, vitamin A pantothenol, vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, biotin, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement), minerals (ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, copper oxide, pyridoxine hydrochloride), copper sulfate, manganese oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), oat fiber, taurine, mixed tocopherols for freshness, natural flavors, beta-carotene, apples, broccoli, carrots, blueberries, green peas.

After this thorough analysis of these brands we are very concerned about their ultra-precious ingredients, their artificial preservatives, chemical ingredients, low quality proteins and their processes oriented to maximize the profitability of these large multinationals without the slightest concern for the health of our pets, that is why we recommend to search, investigate and inquire about “local” responsible companies that produce pet food of good quality, balanced with fresh ingredients, here we leave you the link of two of them:

How to feed your dog a healthy barf diet?

All the questions about the barf diet are solved in this article.

Surely as a pet owner either a dog or a cat you will be asking yourself this question, in this article we want to solve this doubt and resolve many others that exist around the raw barf diet, so we present this index with related topics in this short, but complete article on the natural diet for dogs.

Index

1 What is the barf diet and where does its name come from?

2 What is the scientific basis for the barf diet?

3 Advantages of the barf diet for dog health.

4 Disadvantages of the barf diet.

5 At what age can a dog be started on a barf diet?

6 How should the transition from concentrate to barf diet be made?

What is the barf diet and where does its name come from?

The BARF diet arises from thinking about what is the best food for dogs? From the scientific understanding of their physiognomy and digestive system as well as understanding which foods are biologically appropriate for them.

BARF stands for Biologically Appropriated Raw Food, or more commonly known as BARF diet or natural diet for dogs.

What is the scientific basis for the BARF diet?

The BARF diet is scientifically supported since it is based on the scientific method, which means that this diet has been the result of multiple conclusive studies that have demonstrated with facts and data that ostensibly improve the health of dogs.

The BARF type diet was created by the Australian veterinarian and scientist Ian Billinghurst and its sustenance is centered in that the biology of the dog is made to feed in greater measure of raw meat and fleshy bones, in fact the dog shares most of its DNA with the wolf and its digestive system is quite similar, especially if you observe its intestines are very short in comparison with the human being and its teeth with prominent fangs are made just to tear meat and wide and heavy molars to crush bones.

Advantages of the barf diet for the health of dogs.

In general, the main advantage of BARF focuses on the noticeable improvement of all aspects related to the health of dogs by feeding them in a natural way including the foods they evolved to eat and are designed to eat. The advantages of the BARF diet are numerous among others:

o Feeding dogs in an appropriate, biologically appropriate way.

o Maximizes the health of dogs.

o Reduces health problems related to kidney problems (concentrated foods can generate big problems in the kidneys as dissolving these hard and dehydrated foods is an extra work for the kidneys).

o Improve their reproductive capacity.

o Feeding a dog with BARF diet minimizes visits to the veterinarian as a consequence of feeding them with the appropriate food for their biology.

o The coat will be noticeably shinier and shed less.

o Reduced risk of fatal diseases such as cancer or degenerative diseases such as hip dysplasia by having a better balance of nutrients and avoiding obesity.

o Whiter teeth since with concentrates dogs’ teeth tend to stain.

o The BARF diet contains a high percentage of raw meat which in turn contains water, so dogs that eat it are better hydrated and need to drink less water.

o Their immune system will be stronger, a key fact since it protects the dog from diseases.

o When a dog is fed BARF it is noticeable in its body odor as it is practically neutral while a dog that is fed concentrate smells precisely what bags of this food smell like.

4 Disadvantages of the barf diet.

In general, the BARF diet has no disadvantages per se, since this diet is supported by verifiable scientific results. However, its risk lies in the fact that in the last years a great number of companies have appeared that claim to produce and commercialize BARF diet without the aseptic production procedures that guarantee the innocuousness and quality of the food and without the adequate balance of the required food.

Another disadvantage is that as this diet is 100% natural and is made mostly of raw meat, it needs to be kept frozen, so it can be a bit cumbersome to have to thaw the food every day before giving it to the dog. However, this represents a fairly simple sacrifice compared to more years of life and health at our dog’s side.

5 At what age can you start feeding a barf diet to a dog? Y

6 How should the transition from concentrate to barf diet be made?

In general the transition from a diet of concentrates to a natural BARF type diet should be done gradually, i.e. it could be combined for two days as the dog may resent a sudden change in their diet, in fact some may have a mild diarrhea, normal in a process of detoxification of a food that is made from cereals and highly allergenic proteins such as soy and corn and ingredients full of preservatives and artificial preservatives. That is to say that the change can be done progressively during three days until the BARF diet rations are the totality of our dog’s food.

BARF type food is recommended for all breeds and can be given to puppies, after 4 or 5 months (optimal period for weaning), young or adult dogs, the only recommendation with puppies or dogs of very small breeds is that the brand of barf diet that is purchased ensures that the meaty bones are very well crushed in order to avoid choking by a clogging of a piece of bone.

If you want to know more about the BARF type diet and other articles visit our BLOG and know the history of BOW a barf type food brand that we recommend you.

The Best Snacks For Your Dog.

Undoubtedly one of the main questions we ask ourselves when we have and take care of a pet is what is the best food we can give him? Several of our publications in this Blog help us with various concepts and realities about dog food and how the positive impact of the BARF diet influences the welfare of our dogs.

However, it is important to note that to give variety to their diet, whether we feed them with natural diet BARF type or diet based on concentrates, many owners consider and usually buy snacks like cookies or kibble, either for the first purpose or to reward certain behavior or simply because we love them, it is important to at least check what are the ingredients of these “snacks” because in general I have personally seen a lot of ingredients, chemicals, additives and preservatives that can deteriorate the health of your dog, in fact I want to make the following reflection:

Have you ever checked the labels or packaging of the food you feed your dog? Have you checked the ingredients and know if they are suitable for your dog? Have you even checked the labels and information about the ingredients used by the big manufacturers of dog snacks, in general I can say that I have found “alarming” ingredients in this type of food with very large lists of chemical ingredients and preservatives that I did not even know; because of the above it is better to opt for natural food for our best friends, it can be raw food BARF type, baked or cooked and natural snacks.

I can tell as a personal experience that when I bought my dog meat bones, which he loved, that same night, he usually vomited; this is why it is advisable to prefer healthy, natural snacks that do not affect the health of your dog.

Remember that in BOW we have cookies made with chicken, 100% natural and without preservatives, additionally we have BARF Diet, Natural Baked Diet, and BARF with fruit. Call us at 301 3298946 and ask for them!

Be careful with the ingredients of the concentrates.

Did you know that many of the ingredients with which concentrates are made for our dogs are harmful and mostly allergic!

Here we bring you two photos of two of the most sold dog foods in Colombia, (Chunky chicken flavor and DOG CHOW), on the back of the packaging, in ingredients, it is described that this food contains: corn, a very economical ingredient but at the same time very allergic to dogs; sodium chloride salt, very harmful to dogs; the list goes on, do you recognize the other ingredients? do you recognize the large amount of chemical ingredients? It is striking that this food, on the packaging, on the front it says that it is chicken, however its chicken content is only 30% and incredibly this chicken on the back of the packaging is described as “chicken meal”, an ingredient that is made from chicken. an ingredient that is made from chicken waste.

Additionally, this food that we photographed on a supermarket shelf had an expiration date of one year from now, so the reflection arises: What ingredients should this food contain to last another year without any kind of refrigeration? Is it really beneficial for our dogs? Is it convenient that a living being, an animal is fed always, throughout its life, from a packaged food that rests on a shelf for many years?

In the following photo we took the most sold concentrated food in Colombia and one of the most sold in the world Dog Chow, we were surprised to notice several aspects in the composition of this popular dog food:

Its high content of yellow corn, wheat and soy flour, three ingredients that are allergic for pets especially with regard to corn and soy.

Another surprising element is that although this food is sold as Dog Chow Chicken, incredibly in its ingredients chicken is not mentioned as a main ingredient in fact the animal protein content is mentioned as “meat meal”, it is worth explaining that meat meal is a SUBPRODUCT of any meat, chicken, beef, pork, among others and from any piece of the animal, legs, skin, necks, heads, entrails or bones which are subjected to extreme temperatures (affecting beforehand the quality of the proteins) to be dried and produce this “meat meal”.

In addition, there are more than 10 artificial chemical ingredients that we do not know about!!! potassium chloride, L-lysine monohydrochloride, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, titanium dioxide, yellow 6, ferrous sulfate, yellow 5, red 40, manganese sulfate, niacin, blue 2, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, deriboflavin supplement, calcium iodate, WOULD YOU NUTRIATE YOUR BODY WITH FOODS OR INGREDIENTS YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT? ?

Our proposal today is to invite you to a change in the diet of our best friends, a healthy diet like BOW, which contains only natural ingredients and no chemicals, call us at 301 3298946 and ask for a free sample!

I can’t provide real-time information or access current databases or ratings, but I can offer some guidance on what might make a dog food poorly rated. When considering dog food, it’s essential to look for a balanced diet that meets your dog’s nutritional needs. This includes considering factors like:

Ingredient Quality: Low-quality ingredients or fillers may not provide the necessary nutrients for your dog.
Nutritional Balance: The food should contain the right balance of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.
Additives and Preservatives: Artificial additives, colors, and preservatives might be harmful to your dog’s health.
Recall History: Check for any past recalls due to contamination or other issues.
Customer Reviews: While not always reliable, looking at customer reviews can give you an idea of others’ experiences with the product.

It’s always a good idea to consult with your veterinarian for recommendations tailored to your dog’s specific needs. They can provide guidance based on factors like age, breed, size, and any existing health conditions.